Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
'Jules Verne' ATV Launch Video
Jules Verne, the European Space Agency's new Automated Transfer Vehicle, lifted off successfully today. The Ariane 5ES rocket, which was making its maiden flight, lifted off from ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Centre at 04:03:04 GMT this morning.
(Ariane-5ES rocket)
The ATV is carrying eight tons of wet and dry cargo for the International Space Station. Prior to making a rendezvous with the space station, the ATV will spend several weeks in a calibration and testing mode. It will then spend about a week catching up with the ISS and then "park" about 1200 miles away to wait until after the space shuttle Endeavour comes and goes from its own mission before attempting its own autonomous docking.
The autonomous docking process will be accomplished with the aid of two new laser sensing systems that will pinpoint the ISS for docking.
(Jules Verne ATV chasing the ISS)
The Jules Verne ATV has a few special commemorative items on board, including a copy of "De la Terre à la Lune and Autour de la Lune" published during Verne's lifetime.
(Copy of "De la Terre à la Lune and Autour de la Lune"
sent to the ISS aboard the Jules Verne ATV)
Check out this video of the launch of the Jules Verne ATV; very nice video also demonstrates how the ATV is transported to the launch pad.
(Jules Verne ATV Launch video)
The most impressive feature of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle is that it doesn't waste any space or resources on a pilot and crew. The ATV will dock with the ISS in a completely autonomous mode. The ISS crew will have a "red button" to push if they think that the ATV is misbehaving.
I don't know who first thought of the idea of a completely autonomous take-off and docking process; here's a nice shot of the automated transfer pod from the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. It performed a picture-perfect automatic docking.
(Automated shuttle from Star Trek IV)
Read more at Europe's 'Jules Verne' Spacecraft Carries Author's Notes on Maiden Voyage and the Jule's Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) ESA home page.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/9/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Spacecraft ")
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!' -
China Wants To Build Mega Space Ships
'Don't do anything to endanger our shipping privileges...' - Frank Herbert, 1965.
Dream Of Building Your Own Rocket?
Fiorello Bodoni, you inspire all of us.
Used Dragon Cargo Spacecraft Will Fly Again
'the overstrained meters made the smaller craft skittish as a young horse...' - Robert Heinlein
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Robot Hand Creeps Along, Separate From It's Owner
'The crawling... object was V-Stephen's surgeon-hand...'
Taikonauts Exercise In China's Tiangong Space Station
'Joe got out the gravity-simulator harnesses...'
Korean Exoskeleton Suit F1 Helps You Put It On
'Better late than never.'
Have AI Researchers Given Up On 'Bio-Babies'?
'You couldn't have the capstone without the pyramid to hold it up.'
Bunker Busters and Bore-Pellets
'The first revelation of the new Soviet bore-pellets.'
'Spikeless' Brand Swizzle Stick Detects Spiked Drinks
'the unobtrusive inspections with tiny remote-cast snoopers...'
Heart Patches Grown In The Lab Repair Hearts
I'm hoping that this procedure becomes a normal part of medical practice!
Humanoid Robots Spotted In Homes Performing Household Chores
'... nothing was perfected until M. Pantalon announced the completion of his automatic valet.'
Musk Proposes Sites For Martian Cities
'...its streets were of remarkable width, with few or no buildings so high as mosques, churches, State-offices, or palaces in Tellurian cities.'
Bambot Open Source Cheap Delivery Robot
'Not since the time he rewired the delivery robot...'
Robot Collective Acts Like A Smart Material
'...it was all composed of tiny, identical cubes, carefully laid to form a tilelike surface.'
Vipera Electric Skis From Frigid Dynamics
'JOAN strapped on her power-skis...'
Pixel Watch 'Loss of Pulse Detection' And Philip K. Dick
'He carried on his person a triggering mechanism sensitive to his heartbeat.'
Nuclear Plant Restarted To Power AI To Feed Us Dreams
'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
SpaceX's Starman Tesla Roadster In Space
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
